Crybaby
by amourdesoi
Summary: Okay, so she lost a bet. Too bad for her that the penalty for losing is asking the rather fearsome Heiwajima Shizuo out on a date; and for an easily frightened girl who's always crying over something, this probably won't be easy. Raijin days, Shizuo x OC.
1. the bet that starts it all

A/N: What can I say? I love me some Shizuo.

I don't own Durarara!

Crybaby

I stare at my prey, safely hidden behind the bleachers. Well, maybe _prey_ is the wrong word to use here; I figure that if something is your _prey_, you'd want to catch it. Well, either way, here I am, the unwilling hunter eyeing her unwitting, soon-to-be victim. It all started with that stupid, stupid bet…

"_Rin!" I ignore the voice calling to me, feeling my eyes water as I stare at my just barely passing grade on my math test. "Rin, what's wrong this time?" Note the 'this time'. _

_I turn to my friend Ayame, who's looking at me with a mix of concern and exasperation. "I just barely passed my test…!" Honestly, it isn't that big of a deal. Ayame knows this, and so do I._

"_It won't kill you to get a just passing grade sometimes, Rin," she chides me gently, sighing and patting my back as tears start to fall down my cheeks. "Really, you're always crying over something…!" _

_You might think she's being mean, or vaguely calling me a crybaby, but she's right. Ever since I was little, the smallest things would be able to make me cry. Paper cuts, a missing sock, burning my toast… you name it, I've probably cried over it. _

"_But… but…!" I let loose a sniffle and Ayame rolls her eyes at me. It really is sad; I get scared over almost anything, sad over almost anything, even when I'm extremely happy over almost anything, I still cry._

"_Rin, you need to get over this… this crying thing. People won't take you seriously, especially when you're an adult, you know." A tiny bit harsh, which makes me generate more tears; but again, I know she's right. _

"_I will! I really, really will! I'm… I'm just a growing teenage g-girl with crazy hormones!" I try to defend myself only to be rebuked with another roll of her eyes._

"_How can you say that even though you've been doing this since before puberty?" Okay, so she's right… again. What else is new, I think to myself as I pout and wipe my eyes with a tissue I grab from my desk; yes, let me mention that I tend to keep so many tissues in stock that I could probably supply enough for all of Ikebukuro in flu season._

"_I can! I swear I could, I just… um…"_

"_You say you can stop? Okay, then… I bet that you can't go one school day without bawling like you usually do." She has her arms crossed, which pretty much says 'admit defeat, because it's not like you'll actually take this bet, anyways.'_

_It's not like I want to be like this, I'll have you know. If I could go a full school day without crying, why, that would probably inspire me enough to go two days without crying! And who knows? Maybe that can turn into a week… then a month… maybe even a full year! Alright, maybe a year was pushing it, but even a month would be incredibly liberating._

"_I… I bet that I can!" I protest, crumpling my soggy tissue in my hand as I bang it on the top of my desk._

"_Fine, then. If you can go without crying a full school day, I'll treat you to any kind of food you want for a whole week!" It really isn't that much of a reward, but I did happen to be somewhat gluttonous, despite my small frame. Not only that, I'd get the knowledge that it was possible for me not to be a simpering mess every day, over nothing…_

_With a determined look in my eye, I nod, "And if I lose? …Which I won't!"_

_She taps her finger against her chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm…" She stares out the window, and a sparkle enters her eye; immediately, I know there's a 99.9 percent chance I won't like what she's about to say._

"_If you lose, _which you will_, you have to ask Heiwajima-san out on a date." Her finger points out the window she was looking at, and I take a glance outside._

"_H-Heiwajima-san? Isn't he…" I know who he is, of course, everyone at this school does. However, I kind of hope that if I look outside to confirm it for myself, it'll be a different Heiwajima-san standing there, one that isn't blond and strong and big and…_

_There's tons of crumpled bodies on the soccer field, some crawling and looking like they're trying to escape from the frontlines of a ferocious battle. Amidst all of it stood the one and only (damn it) Heiwajima Shizuo, the strongest and most feared student at Raijin, and I gape as I make the connection between Ayame's words and the thought of who exactly I'd have to ask out if I lost._

"_Well, I mean, you don't have to accept." Ayame picks at her nails disinterestedly, then looks back to me with a mock surprised look on her face, "Oh, wait! You already did."_

"_Ahhh, Ayame! He's scary…"_

_Really, why was I friends with such an evil girl?_

So, obviously, I lost the bet. I place all the blame on the flowers that were planted around the school grounds for looking so pathetic and wilted that I cried; their petals had been all dried up, the color was starting to fade from the vibrant hues that they at one point were, and… okay, I really need to stop thinking about the flowers, because the mere thought of them is making a lump come to my throat.

I edge out from behind my sanctuary of bleachers, sidestepping a student who's pretty much dragging himself across the turf with one hand, shedding some not so manly tears; but just looking at him crying makes _me_ want to cry, and… oh boy, here I go again… I wipe my eyes and focus elsewhere; elsewhere being the blond head of Heiwajima Shizuo.

I gulp as I get closer and closer to the tall boy who is currently being applauded by a bespectacled student who's sitting on the bleachers opposite of the ones where I was lurking. He's turned around, and I stare with big eyes at his broad back as I finally reach about two feet away from him.

"Ah… H-Heiwajima-…san?" He turns to face me, but there's a fierce look in his eyes and a snarl on his face, and I immediately forget whatever I was going to say as I stare at him.

His face softens somewhat as he realizes he's giving that fearsome look to a trembling female student who probably looked like she was a deer caught in headlights – also known as 'me.'

"Hey?" He greets me uncertainly. He blinks at me with light brown eyes, and I get the feeling he's kind of surprised. I finally remember what I was going to say, and I'm mustering up my strength to spit it out - until another rough and tumble student pops up from behind Heiwajima with a battle yell.

Heiwajima doesn't even spare him a glance, except for the snarl reappearing on his face. Without looking, he simply raises his fist as the student practically lands on it, and he flies over into the bleachers where the other student that was cheering him on sits.

Watching him fight from a distance scared me badly enough, but watching that student fly all the way over yonder from two feet away proves to be a bit too much for me to handle.

"Sorry about that. What were you saying?"

I stare at him again, and I'm pretty sure my eyes are wide with terror - until they roll up into the back of my head as I faint.

Stupid bet.

A/N: This is just a little side project I felt like doing. First chapter's short, I know... but it's 4:17 am here, and I happen to have work at 8am; I just wanted to get this out there. Please review, give me your opinions/criticisms, and let me know if I should actually continue doing this. If enough people like it, then I don't see why not. Thanks for reading~


	2. really nice hair

A/N: Don't worry, I'm not giving up on Heart Station! In fact, I'm snowed in right now, so I doubt I'll be doing much other than writing and stuffing my face. Thank you for your reviews on the first chapter; they're pretty much the only reason I post on here, otherwise I'll just write and read it for my own enjoyment. It really makes me happy to know that other people can enjoy it too, so like I said - enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Two

Blue.

I see blue as I open my eyes, and I realize it's the sky; I'm still laying face up on the turf, and it's only been a few minutes since my shameful descent into unconsciousness. The clear blue sky is quickly replaced by a curious face with glasses perched on their nose, and it takes me by surprise as I clench my eyes shut in fear.

"Ahh!" Acting on instinct, I let out a mini shriek and let loose a slap on whoever's face it happened to be. Hey, I never said I wouldn't take action (although it's never very much)...

"O-oww! Hey, that actually kinda hurt...!" I blink at the boy who's now what he must've deemed a safe distance away from me and rubbing his cheek and frowning, when he recieves a knock upside the head from - from... oh, yeah.

"That's 'cause you're a total wimp, Shinra."

Yes, it's all coming back to me; I'm supposed to ask out the tough looking blond towering over the student I just whacked. How on earth would I get Heiwajima, ass-kicker extraordinaire, to go on a date with someone as pathetic as me? Jeez, he punches someone and I end up being the one down for the count... Not what I'd say is a very good impression. I can see Heiwajima having a strong delinquent girlfriend, you know, one that he'd bring along to a fight.

The student, Shinra, is still rubbing his cheek and pouting. "I was only trying to wake you up..."

Oh, dear. "Ah, I'm sorry! I'm so, so, so sorry!" I feel the familiar surge of wetness flood my eyes, and I stumble to my feet rather ungracefully. "You were only trying to help me, and I... I hit you!" I knew I should've brought my tissues...

Now I felt incredibly guilty; I had smacked him (a good one, apparently) when he was just trying to bring me back to consciousness! And the only reason I had fainted in the first place was because I'm such a scaredy cat... "Sorry, sorry! I'm sorry!"

My bottom lip was beginning to wobble again, and I already feel a tear sliding down my cheek. I think to myself that I should probably run away now, and just accept that I'll be Ayame's slave forever for being unable to fulfill my side of the bet.

Shinra is blinking at me confusedly, and places a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, hey! I-it's okay! It didn't hurt at all!"

Wiping my eyes, I bring my eyes to his disbelievingly. "R-really...?" He nods vehemently, and all of a sudden, a tissue is being held out for me to take. Heiwajima is holding it out, looking off to the side.

"Here," he says, and I take it gratefully and start dabbing my eyes with it.

"Thanks," I sniffle pathetically, "But.. I should really g-go now..." Ayame can wait to have her sadistic desires fulfilled for another day. Right now I just want to go home and forget I ever embarassed myself a few minutes ago.

"Ah!" Shinra interjects, and he tries to push Heiwajima forward, but it only makes him lean towards me a bit. "Since this big brute over here," Said brute lets out a warning growl, and I have to fight to keep the 'eep' from escaping my mouth, "Scared you into fainting, he should walk you home. It's only the gentlemanly thing to do, after all!"

"It's okay! I'll be fine!" I exclaim hastily.

I gulp and hope he leaves it be, and I glance at Heiwajima. He has a strange look on his face; the only way I could describe it was... maybe defeated? Like his brain was thinking, 'Yeah, of course, it figures.' Maybe I offended him with my extremely quick rejection?

"Nonsense! Why, if my honey Celty were here, I'd walk her home over a thousand times!" He practically swoons, clutching his hands to his face with a blush. I think Heiwajima and I are both refraining from telling Shinra neither of us are each other's 'honey.'

Suddenly, Ayame's voice appears in my head:_ "What are you doing, idiot? If you want to ask Heiwajima out on a date, you should get close to him a little bit!"_ I know the voice (hey, where'd that come from, anyway?) is right, so I muster up all my courage - but not before looking around cautiously; the last time I 'mustered up courage' I fainted like a pansy - and turn to the blond.

"Actually... if you didn't mind, I could use some c-company...?" I'm seriously doubting some of this right now; what if he gets angry about something on the walk home? Guess who will be right next to all the damage: _me_! I feel more tears coming on at the mere thought of it, and I quickly brush my eyes with the tissue again.

He's giving me a slightly uncertain look for whatever reason, and I know I have to reinforce my request. "Please, Heiwajima-san?"

At this time, I figure it's appropriate to do what Ayame tells me to do when I'm in need of being said 'yes' to, and I give him a pair of puppy dog eyes. I know they're still glistening from tears, making quite the... well, pathetic looking picture. I can't believe I'm resorting to this, though; it feels rather manipulative, and not me at all, but... well, in my defense, the tears are au naturel.

"Alright," he gives in, a bit gruffly. Well, it worked. Now I just have the way home to deal with...

A few minutes later, we're leaving out through the school gates in total silence. Thankfully, I only live a short distance away, so I just had to hold strong through these few minutes of awkward quiet. Halfway through the walk, he speaks.

"So, did you have something to tell me?" Inside, I freeze. I had been hoping he'd forget, and that would give me time to go home and prepare an arensal of tactics to handle this situation.

"Why w-would you say that?" I stutter, and glance up at him. He's not looking at me, just staring straight ahead.

"Well, I don't think many people would go to the field at that time unless they have something to say." Of course, I think, why else would a mousy girl like me show up at the aftermath of the battle?

"Um..." There! I can see my house a skip and a hop away, and I can feel relief flooding my body. I think that maybe I can play it off as I've forgotten something there.

"Plus, you approached me by name." Or not.

"I just wanted to..." I glance at him again, but now he's focused on me; it startles the stuffing out of me, and I can't help but inch away out of nervousness.

His brown eyes have a thin sheen of curiosity over them, and I can't help but abstractly notice that he has nice hair. It's blond, but the way the sun hits it turns it into a glowing gold, and his eyes look like warm honey in the warm rays. It's just - _He's _just so _beautiful _to me that... that...

"What's wrong?" He asks me, and I can sense a slight nervous undertone to his words.

Probably another guy who doesn't know how to deal with crying girls; because I am crying, again. Yes, I'm crying over how handsome he had looked a minute ago. I can barely believe the ludicrous reason myself as I wipe my eyes with my sleeve.

We're two feet away from the front of my house. He's still staring at me oddly, and I can't help but whimper.

"...to... tell you that..." It's at that moment in front of my house, staring and crying at the sun laden sight of Heiwajima Shizuo, that I realize if he wasn't always involved in fights, girls would probably be clawing out each other's eyes out to get to him.

"...you - you have_ really nice haiiir_!" I wail, and immediately make a run for my door. I just happen to trip over my own feet in my hasty retreat, and I land face down on the ground with an "oof!" I feel even more tears come down my cheeks from my humiliation, but then I'm being brought to my feet again. Heiwajima is right next to me, and... is that a blush on his face?

"...Thanks." He says gruffly. Heiwajima removes his hands from my arm that he was holding to help me up, and rubs the back of his head. "Are you okay?"

I can only nod at him dumbly, and I glance at my door; it's only a foot away, now, and I just want to dart in, call Ayame, and tell her how much of a meanie she is for putting me through this.

"What's your name?" He asks sheepishly. The tears have only slowed down, they're still coming - as I stare at him with blurry vision, he still looks so nice to the eyes that it's no wonder I was sniffing and letting out miniscule sobs.

"Kitamura Rin..."

"Kitamura Rin." He sounds it out, and I have to admit that it sounds nice in his deep voice.

"W-well... thank you for walking me home," I add quietly. Now that my escape has been fumbled, I might as well be polite about it.

He nods. "Don't worry about it." He's turning to leave and my hand is on my doorknob, when I hear him talk again. "I'm... sorry. If I scared you back there."

Without another word, he walks away as I stare at his retreating back, and I absently notice that both my tears have stopped... and the fact that Heiwajima might not be so bad.

* * *

A/N: Yep, Rin was crying because of how attractive Shizuo is... seriously, she's the kind of girl that will start weeping at anything that scares/saddens/moves her. Hope everyone was in character, even though there wasn't much going on. I know this chapter was kind of short as well, but they'll get longer. Please review! I'm dying to know what people think about the story, and Rin as a character. Don't fret, she'll become more indepth later on...


	3. too cute octopi

A/N: Decided to update this since people seemed to like it! So... hope you guys continue liking it, and thank you guys for the reviews~ I just seem to be more into Ave Maria, so.. :x I'm sorry ya'll!

Also, if anyone's interested in Izaya x Anri, there's a little thing on my page I wrote~ I do believe it's the first one... maybe I'll start a trend :)?

I don't own Durarara~

* * *

Chapter Three

As soon as Rin gets inside, she can't help but breathe a huge sigh of relief and slump against her door. Having Heiwajima walk her home was difficult enough, but she's supposed to ask him out on a _date_?

_Someone, please tell me how that's supposed to work, because I simply cannot see it..._

"Rin? Is that you?"

Her mother appears from the end of the hallway, wiping her hands on a dish towel. As soon as she sees her daughter, though, the dish towel goes flying off somewhere and she launches herself at her, encasing Rin in one of her infamous hugs that are filled with so much love that they somehow manage to feel like death.

"Oh, Rin, I'm so glad you've come home safely to me yet again!" She nuzzles her cheek against the top of her head while she tries to gasp for breath fruitlessly.

"M-me too, kaa-san..."

_Need... air...! Is it possible to die of suffocation because my mother loves me too much?_

"It was the most horrible thing, earlier! I was watching the news, and apparently there's a gang of perverts and hoodlums roaming around the streets! They've got some name... it's, it's... Oh, I can't remember!" She exclaims in distress, "Promise me you'll be careful, Rinnn~!"

"P-p-perverts? H-h-hoodlums?" Rin manages to choke out, "R-r-roaming...!" A sniff. "Why'd you tell me that, kaa-san!" It'd be so terrible if she was abducted or attacked by _either _of those things, and she starts to cry at the endless possibilities in her head that all end with her getting mauled.

Perhaps this shines a little light on why Rin is the way she is, because now, like usual, her mother has successfully gotten the wheels of worry turning along in her head.

"Promise me, Rin!" She doesn't give me a chance to promise, though, since she keeps babbling. "I'm going to buy you some pepper spray the next time I go out! Maybe I should buy you one of those metal knuckle things, too... Oh, your father and I could also send you to one of those self defense classes!"

"K-kaa-san, I... promise?" It comes out as more of a question than a sure statement, but it seems to be good enough for her. "And no mace or self defense _or _knuckle things!" Rin would definitely end up injuring herself somehow instead of anyone who was trying to beat on her. No... it definitely would not end well.

She wrenches herself out of her mother's too loving grip and wipes her eyes free of the moisture that's been collecting. "I've gotta go do homework, now..." She trudges up the stairs, and her mother calls out for her to make sure she don't trip or hit her head or accidentally stab herself with a pencil-

Yes, she's almost positive she's received most of her strange quirks from her mother. Her father is just as protective, if not more - except he was one of those stern-faced, no nonsense kind of men. Although, looking between the two, she wishes she could've taken after her father a hell of a lot more...

* * *

The next day at school, she wishes she didn't go at all.

"Let me get this straight." Ayame deadpans, manicured fingers tapping against Rin's desk. "You went to the field..." Her hand moves off the desk to count all the ways in which she has made a fool of herself, and Rin pouts in dismay.

"You fainted when you approached Heiwajima-san... You had him walk you home... Then, to top it all off, you told him he had really nice hair - then tripped flat on your face."

"Y-yes..." She whimpers, laying her head down on the desk and placing both of her arms on top.

"Rin! You didn't even get to ask him out! Jeez..." She sighs. "In addition to you _not_ getting a food-free-for-all, you still haven't made any positive progress in getting rid of... of-" Ayame makes a hand gesture towards her friend's teary face, "... -that."

"I tried, Ayame! I really did!" She lifts her head up and sighs, staring out the window. "It was just... really hard! And you know," She starts to add in an even quieter tone, "It makes it even harder that he's... kinda-sorta-cute..."

Silence passes. "Rin, you... do you actually _like_ Heiwajima-san?" Ayame blinks at her in curiosity, and Rin immediately waves her hands vehemently.

"N-no! Me, like Heiwajima-san? That's like - that's like - that's like a little teeny mouse having a crush on a big boa constrictor!" Okay, maybe she's exaggerating, but that seems like an appropriate enough comparison for her to use.

Besides, she barely knew him, other than knowing what the rest of the school knows... (freakishly strong, not very social, did I mention freakishly strong?)

Ayame perches herself on the desk and gives her a knowing look. "Rin, it's okay to like someone, you know."

"B-but I-!"

"I mean, _you _told _Heiwajima-san _he had nice hair, and somewhere around then you said you started crying because he 'looked so handsome'..." Her finger taps against her chin, then raises in the way it always does when she gets an idea.

"... I think you should pursue a relationship with Heiwajima-san."

Whoa.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Last time Rin checked, this had just been the result of a simple bet - and now she wants to her to _pursue a relationship_? With _Heiwajima? _Again, she barely even knew the guy! "... You're crazy."

"No, really, I think I'm onto something! You two are pretty different, if I may say so myself - maybe if you're around him long enough, some of those weepy little habits of yours will go away. And maybe he'll stop getting into so many fights if he's around a ... uh, _gentle..._" Rin supposes that's the nicest word for the kind of girl she is. "... girl like you."

"I really don't think that-"

"Hmm," Ayame ponders, totally ignoring her, "I wonder where Heiwajima eats lunch?"

... _Why am I friends with her again?_

* * *

"Ahh, such a nice day out, isn't it?" Shinra chirps in that happy voice of his, and Shizuo just grunts and chugs the bottle of milk in his hand. It's quickly emptied, and he places it on the concrete next to him with a small clink.

It's lunchtime, and they're sitting on the roof - it seems to be the one place Shizuo gets harrassed the least, so it's become the place he has chosen to spend this time - he's mostly undisturbed, except for Shinra's incessant chattering.

"So, Shizuo, what happened yesterday? Did that girl confess her eternal, undying love for you?" He asks excitedly, and the blond waves a hand at him.

"Don't be an idiot, Shinra."

"What? What do you expect me to think? Maybe it's like this: A cute, timid girl like her, who secretly has a crush on the strongest-" He stops in the middle of his statement as Shizuo shoots him a glare. "All I'm saying, is that I can't see any other reason why a girl like that would approach you! Ah... no offense." He adds nervously when Shizuo's glare becomes a lot more potent.

Shizuo doesn't really know why either. The girl (Rin?) seemed to have an large fountain of tears stored in her. He'd never seen her around before, but he had already watched her cry a few times (and pass out, courtesy of what he's pretty sure was himself), and he only having been around her less than an hour. And when he had walked her home she had seemed to want to get away from him so fast that she fell on her face and darted inside her house.

"It would make for a great soap opera, don't you think- augh!" Shinra rubs the top of his abused head that got smacked as Shizuo leans back against the chain link fence. He opens his mouth to whine, or start talking other nonsense - but then the rooftop door swings open.

And speak of the devil, there's the 'crying girl'. She's standing in the doorway, clutching a small bento to her chest. Her knees are wobbling and knocking against each other, and he can actually see her shaking even from where he's sitting.

He hears a hushed, _"Go get 'em, tiger!" _and the girl is shoved out onto the rooftop as the door slams behind her.

"See, see!" Shinra chants in a loud whisper, and nudges Shizuo's shoulder.

"Ah... h-hello again..." She stutters, "Would you mind if... if I...?" She's looking anywhere but them, and Shinra stands up and approaches her in that annoyingly friendly way of his.

"If you join us for lunch? Sure you can! Ah...?"

"R-Rin..." The bespectacled student takes hold of her arm and guides her over to where they're sitting against the fence, and he plops her down right in between them. Shizuo sneaks a peek at the girl sitting next to him.

_"...you - you have really nice haiiir!" _Her statement from yesterday rings through his mind and he quickly looks away, running a hand through said hair self consciously.

"So, Rin-chan - you don't mind if I call you that, do you? What brings you here to eat lunch with us solitary souls?" Shinra asks dramatically, leaning back on his hands.

"I... ah..."

Shizuo is curious himself, actually. Because as he said earlier, this girl passed out at the sight of him throwing a mere punch at some delinquent - and judging from the way she's searching for words, she doesn't seem to know why either.

"I just t-thought... the roof would be a nice place to e-eat," she squeaks, then looks down at her bento with her hands tightly clutched around it.

"Mmm, yes. The sights up are are just lovely, aren't they?" Shinra agrees, then shoots an exaggerated wink at Shizuo over her head. "And even though it's great up here, I think I hear someone calling me down there. Don't you, Shizuo?"

No, he doesn't. And God help Shinra if he's doing what Shizuo _thinks _he's doing -

"Yes, someone _is_ calling me! Well, I'll see you around, Rin-chan! Shizuo, I'll see you after class!" A quick wave, and he scampers away from the rooftop, so quickly it was like he wasn't even there.

Cue the awkward silence between the school's biggest 'delinquent' and the school's biggest crybaby.

"H-Heiwajima-san, you don't have anything to eat...?" Surprisingly, Rin breaks the silence first, and Shizuo looks at her.

"Shinra ate it," he mumbles, which is the truth. Even though he has Celty making him meals everyday, he still likes to mooch off of Shizuo. The other student claims Kasuka makes lunch right on par with hers, and though it costs him the occasional lunch, Shizuo loves his brother far too much to disagree. The loss sort of gets made up for when Shizuo gives him a good knock on the head, anyway.

"I... I see... Would y-you like s-s-some of mine?" Her hands are trembling as they hold up the box, but she still doesn't look at him. Shizuo looks at the bento like it will suddenly grow fangs and attack his face.

"No thanks." He _is_ kind of hungry, but he cannot help feeling a little weirded out by this girl who-

-who is starting to sniffle?

"O-okay, s-sorry... Y-you're (_sniff_) probably better off w-without eating it... It (_sniff sniff_) probably tastes bad a-a-anyway..."

The shaking bento box goes back on her lap, and a little hand goes up to her face to wipe away at... tears?

Great, Shizuo thinks. Now he just feels like an ass - he thinks that the girl was probably trying to be friendly, even though it was obvious she was scared to death of him.

"I... I am a little hungry," He admits reluctantly in a mumble, and her sniffles slow down as she looks up at him properly for the first time since she's come up here.

"Y-you are...?" Dark, watery brown eyes are looking at him with a glimmer of hope, and he nods, then looks away. "R-really?"

"Yeah," He says, "I mean..." Shizuo clears his throat awkwardly when he can't think of anything else to say. "...Yeah." When Shizuo looks back at her, there's a small, watery smile on her face, and she hands him a chopstick.

"Sorry, I o-only have the one pair... I h-hope you don't mind stabbing at it..."

"It's fine," He assures her, and together in a slightly less awkward silence, they begin to eat.

No, he doesn't really mind stabbing at the too cute pieces of meat sliced to look like octopi. It's sunny on the roof, the cement warmed by the afternoon sun. There's virtually no clouds in the blue spring sky; no gang members are trying to assault him, and there aren't any annoying _fleas _to pester him.

And if he has to be honest, Shizuo doesn't really mind sitting up here on the roof eating Kitamura Rin's lunch with her, either.

* * *

Sorry for the dumb ending, guys D:! But I hope the chapter was enjoyed, at least.

Please let me know what you guys think, if everyone's IC, blah blah, you know. :) And thanks for reading!


	4. doki doki & battler

A/N: Not that long of a chapter, but I figured you guys deserved something for liking this story so much! I'll try to write longer ones in the future... I just get more distracted with AM than anything else, most of my brain power goes out to that... and the Shizaya cracktastic one-shot in the works. :D

Thank you very much for all the reviews! If it weren't for them, this story would have never gotten past the first chapter.

I don't own Durarara or Umineko no Naku Koro ni!

* * *

Chapter Four

"So you went through lunch mostly unscathed?"

"Ah, kind of..." Rin pouts and scratches her head. "It still happened..."

_It_ being the fact she still cried, and it feels even more humiliating that she did because he had rejected her lunch at first. She had felt like an idiot for even asking someone like him to share lunch with her, but she had been so utterly nervous that it had come out for a lack of anything better to say.

"Rin! Be more optimistic! Only once, right? In a half hour? You know, normally it would have been three or four times you started bawling!" Ayame nods wisely, "I think this was an excellent course of action to take."

"I still can't believe you made me go out there like that! It was so awkward... I think I - no, I know I just bothered him." Once Ayame's last sentence soaks in, she frowns. "... Excellent course of action?"

"Well, yeah. I don't know Heiwajima that well, but it seems like maybe he could toughen you up a bit." She supplies, then, "So did his hair look as nice as yesterday?"

"A-Ayaaame!" She hides her face in her hands. "You're so embarrassing!" A second later, she peeks out between her fingers, "A-and... maybe..."

Her friend points a finger at her, "See! Just listen to me, Rin. How could you possibly go wrong by listening to _me_?"

Rin is sure there are many ways, but she doesn't list any because surely, it will take her forever and a day. Instead, she plops her head down onto her desk, eyes watery at the humiliation and upcoming awkwardness she is sure she will soon be facing - at least, more than so far.

* * *

"So? So? How'd it go, Shizuo - oww!" Shinra rubs the bump he has just recieved from his blond companion and frowns; still, it isn't enough to keep him from babbling incessantly. "I was just curious! It's not everyday that you get approached by a cute girl like that!"

"Shut up, Shinra."

"So what happened? Huh? Did she confess undying love to you _this_ time?" Shizuo hopes that maybe if he keeps breathing in and out deeply, he won't throw his bespectacled friend all the way past the Raijin gates and into some oncoming traffic.

"Have I ever told you you're an idiot?"

"Many times - Ah, but I'm an idiot who knows about love! Firsthand! After all, I do live with my one and only honey, Celty!" Shizuo stares at him with a deadpan look as Shinra starts to swoon disgustingly. "And then your heart goes, '_doki doki_', and-" Shinra blinks. "Hey, where are you going? Shizuo?"

After Shizuo has speed walked away from the cause of the buzzing in his ears, he breathes a sigh of relief and begins to walk home. He'd like to get home as soon as possible and call it a good day - he hasn't run into Izaya, only got into approximately four fights today (all of which he won), and so if he can just make it home, it would definitely be a good day.

"Are you all alone, kitty? You're always here by yourself..." Shizuo hears a semi-familiar voice coming from the alley he's passing, and he halts out of curiosity because of the familiarity of it. There's a meow in response to the question posed, and Shizuo finds himself awkwardly gawking at the scene.

The girl, Rin, is in the alley. She's squatting on her heels and reaching out a small hand to pet a scruffy, mangy looking feline behind the ears. "How sad..." Her other hand goes up to rub at her eyes. "You p-poor thing..."

The cat just meows again and rubs against her legs, and he can hear the purring even from where he's standing. Then the creature seems to realize they have an audience of one person, and it turns to face Shizuo and lets out a loud meow.

Rin follows the cat's gaze and falls back on her rear in surprise. "H-Heiwajima-san!" The cat glances back at her with a tilted head as she puts a hand over her heart and blinks rapidly.

"Ah, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." Shizuo mumbles, and then starts to go on his way again. He spins around on his heel, and then the cat is suddenly up against his legs, weaving in between them. Shizuo frowns at its state of dirtiness and notices the cat's missing patches of fur all over its body.

He hesitates petting it, but both Rin and the cat are staring at him somewhat expectantly, so he leans a hand down and strokes its head softly. He hopes he doesn't catch any fleas; _one _on his hands is enough already.

"D-do you like animals, Heiwajima-san?" Rin appears at his side, still teary eyed and looking down at the feline with a sad frown on her face.

"They're alright," He says. He's never had a pet, anyways, and most animals steer clear of him.

Rin leans down when Shizuo stops petting it and resumes scratching its ears. "I love them, but both of my parents have allergies..." The cat purrs again and circles around them, its tail tickling Rin's nose.

"I wish I could take you in... How horrible it must be to be all alone in this big city, with no one to care for you." She starts sniffling again, and Shizuo looks at her crouched form warily.

"No food... oh, and what do you do when it rains, kitty?" She sniffs again and her hand shakes as she continues to pet it. The cat meows pathetically at them, and Rin scoops the animal up in her arms as she stands and clutches it to her chest. The cat, for one, does not seem to care, and just nuzzles her neck.

Shizuo thinks that it's an awfully pathetic looking scene, this crying schoolgirl with a mangy cat clinging to her - "No one in my house has allergies," The words come out before he can help himself. "I could probably take... kitty... in."

And then, Rin looks at him with impossibly huge and watery eyes, lips curved into an 'o'. "R-Really...?"

Well, there's no way he can take back his words, now. "I don't see why not..."

"H-Heiwajima-san... that's so- that's so-" Her mouth closes and her lips wobble, "That's so _kind_ of you!" Rin wails, and the cat meows in something that he thinks might be agreement. "Do you hear that, kitty? You'll have a roof over your head, now!" She holds the cat at a distance to look in its eyes, "And you'll have Heiwajima-san to take care of you, too!"

Shizuo rubs the back of his head sheepishly, and Rin turns to him excitedly. "What will you name him, Heiwajima-san?"

"Him? Ah... do you have any suggestions?"

"Me?" She blinks at him, then glances back at the cat in her outstretched arms. "H-how about..." She continues to stare at the creature for almost a minute before she turns back to him with a watery smile on her face. "Battler!"

"Battler?" He echoes.

"I think it's fitting... I'm sure he's been fighting for so long, trying to survive..." She blinks, then a blush comes across her face. "But if he'll be yours, then y-you should name him!"

He considers this name, and since he doubts he'd be able to come up with anything himself, he just nods. "Battler it is." Shizuo reaches his arms out to take the newly dubbed Battler into his arms, and Rin hands him over.

"Heiwajima-san... would it - would you mind if - do you think I could come visit him sometime?" She stares down at her feet shyly.

"Sure?" He says, surprised. But he realizes he sounds kind of rude, so he clears his throat, "Yeah." She's the first girl that's ever sort of inadvertently said she was going to come to his house sometime, and he stares at the cat with a raised brow as it meows back at him innocently, and she goes from crying to happy to weepy and back to normal again. Rin is definitely strange.

But what's even more strange to him is that as she stares at him with admiration in her brown eyes, he can feel that stupid _doki doki_ that idiot Shinra was talking about.

* * *

A/N: OOC Shizuo is OOC. :D And yes, I totally stole Battler's name from Umineko... but I like that name, jeez...

Hope you guys enjoyed reading, and thanks for reading, too. Please review and let me know what you think!


	5. death by cat food

A/N: Okay, another short chapter... sorry, guys. D: Thanks so much for the reviews! If it weren't for them, I wouldn't even bother updating this~ Though I feel disappointed sometimes when I see how many people have this on their favorites/alerts and don't review... :(

And, ah, **self promotion time**: Uploaded another chapter of Ave Maria last night, if anyone hasn't seen it or read it~ It's my favorite thing I'm writing right now, and it's a Shizuo x OC x Izaya - whoever leaves the 135th review on there gets a free gift-fic from me, as long as it's Durarara... so ah... yeah. :D /end self promotion.

I don't own Durarara~

* * *

Chapter Five

"Welcome home." His brother greets him when he walks into the kitchen, feline still in his arms. He doesn't look up at his blond sibling until he's in front of him, opening up the fridge. "A cat." It sounds more like a statement than a question coming from Kasuka, but Shizuo answers regardless.

"Yeah." He coughs awkwardly, reaching into the fridge and grabbing a bottle of milk. "... Battler."

When he turns around to set the cat down, Kasuka just gives him a nod and returns to reading his book. He's somewhat glad he doesn't ask any questions, because he doesn't know how to say he somewhat got guilted into it by some girl with crying issues. Shizuo rummages around the cabinets for a small bowl - after finding one, he pours the milk into it and places it in front of the cat.

As expected, Battler goes for it - and then, Shizuo realizes he has nothing to give it to eat, nor anything else he would need for it. "... shit." He lets out a grumble at this, then scratches his head.

"Kasuka, would you-" Mind watching the cat for a bit, he wants to say, but Kasuka interjects.

"Sure." Kasuka flips to the next page in his book, not even looking up. Sometimes Shizuo wonders how Kasuka can seemingly read his mind, but he just brushes it off and gives his brother a smile that he can't see.

"Thanks."

* * *

Almost an hour later, Shizuo's finally found a pet store and left with all the appropriate supplies; he hefts the huge bag of cat food on his shoulder and a large bag of items dangles from his other hand. He's still outside the store and about to be on his way home, hoping the cat hasn't caused any mayhem or disaster, when mayhem and disaster find him.

"What's this, Shizu-chan? You've taken to an animal?"

Shizuo stiffens at the sound of that smooth, familiar voice and turns around to face it; as much as he wishes he could just walk away and ignore him, it goes against every cell in his body to do so. Sure enough, Orihara Izaya is standing there casually, still in his black uniform, cropped jacket and all.

He grits his teeth and stalks towards him - he doesn't know exactly how he's going to try and kill the flea _this_ time, but death by bag of cat food would suit him just fine. "Izaaayaaa...!" He growls, and begins to pitch back his arm to throw the heavy bag at him - when suddenly, there's the sound of tiny pieces of food scattering to the ground, and the bag in his arm is suddenly weightless. Izaya grins and waves his flickblade at him.

The blond can only stare angrily at the wasted contents of the bag before dropping the one in his hand and lunging at Izaya. The dark-haired boy merely laughs and jumps back, narrowly missing Shizuo's fist.

"Why would you even bother, Shizu-chan?" Izaya questions mockingly, "You'll probably get mad one day and break its little neck!" Izaya dodges another punch that could easily knock his head right off of his shoulders, and before Shizuo can react with another attempt, Izaya slashes his arm, ripping the sleeve and drawing a thin line of blood from his bicep.

"You _fucking _flea-!" At this point in their battle, the street they're on has been emptied - Shizuo grabs the vending machine nearby and hauls it up with little difficulty, tossing it directly at Izaya. To his dissatisfaction, the machine misses, but the loose cord whips Izaya across the face; it makes him feel a little better, at least.

"Shizu-chan! How could you mess up my beautiful face?" Izaya pouts, hand delicately covering the side of his cheek; it makes Shizuo's blood boil at how nonchalant he is, and Shizuo roars before ripping up a sign like a flower from the grass.

And then he sees Izaya's attention diverted from him, which only serves to piss him off even more. "Pay attention to me when I'm about to kill you!" Shizuo snaps, and he hears a small gasp from behind him.

"H-H-Heiwajima-san?"

He knows that voice; but right now, all he truly knows is that the meddlesome young man in front of him needs to die. So he pitches the sign like a javelin towards Izaya, who merely dodges yet again, to his dismay. Before Shizuo can even blink, Izaya is gone from in front of him, and he hears that annoying flea behind him.

"Shizu-chan, you're scaring this little girl! How rude, especially when it seems she knows you~" Shizuo turns around at that and sees Rin standing there, eyes wide and teary. Though right now, those eyes of hers are looking up at Izaya, who's got an arm around her shoulder and is peering down at her. "Ah! _And _you made her cry!"

Shizuo clenches his fists; there's no way he can try to wound Izaya when he's so close to Rin, though a small part of him wants to give it a try anyway. He knows the bastard knows this, because he positions himself behind the shaking girl and rests his chin on top of her head. Rin's eyes stare upwards as if she could see Izaya, then bore into Shizuo's with fear.

"Get _away_-"

"Haha, Shizu-chan! Don't think I'm listening to you just because I'm going to leave now!" He lifts his chin from Rin's head, who squeaks nervously. A split second later, Izaya is gone with a wave, darting off into an alley. Rin just stands there, rooted to the spot.

"That damn louse..." Shizuo grumbles, staring off angrily to where he disappeared to, when he remembers Rin's still standing there.

"H-Heiwajima-san, you..." Rin stutters, then wipes her eyes. She opens her mouth to say something, but closes it. Her mouth opens a second time, and she eyes him with worry. "You're b-bleeding..." She points to the red soaking into the ripped sleeve of his shirt and swallows.

"Ah. Yeah..." He looks down at his arm with distaste, when he hears sniffles coming from the girl; was there an end to this girl's tears? "Hey..." Shizuo starts uncomfortably, and Rin hiccups.

"I'm sorry, Heiwajima-san... I just... I just..." She takes a hesitant step forward, then lowers her head and stops. "You're bleeding, and it must hurt, and - and-!" She lets out a sob and covers her face with her hands. "You wouldn't be bleeding _or_ hurting if I didn't make you take Battler...!"

Shit, Shizuo thinks. Obviously she's seen the bag from the pet store and the ripped, empty bag of cat food. He looks around uncomfortably before stepping towards her.

"Hey... don't cry, alright?" Shizuo's sure he's never felt this awkward before, but he goes on. "This is nothing. Don't even feel it." He mumbles, and Rin peeks through her fingers at him. He can see her eyes glistening through the spaces, and he sighs and takes another step. "And you didn't make me do anything. I said I'd take him, didn't I?"

"But... but..."

He's less than a foot away from her, and he pats her head with hesitation, trying to comfort her. "Kitamura-san. I volunteered, so... don't cry, alright?" Shizuo repeats - thankfully, the hiccups fade away, as do the sniffles and small sobs.

"A-Alright..." She stares at the ground, and Shizuo notices a light blush on her face. He doesn't point this out though, because he doesn't know why there's one in the first place. Instead, he just chalks it up to her nervousness, sighs again and looks regretfully at the lack of cat food.

"Just bought it, too... stupid flea." He mutters to himself, and Rin pokes her index fingers together.

"I was actually going to buy some for Battler..." A look of surprise appears on her face, then she frowns. "Although I just realized I don't even know where you live... Ah, I'm so dumb sometimes!" Rin cries in exasperation, and Shizuo can't help but smile.

"It's alright. Don't worry about it, I'll just have to buy some more..." He digs around in his pocket, only to realize that all the money he had on his person he already spent at the store.

"I'll buy it, Heiwajima-san... I don't m-mind," Rin tells him, "P-Please wait a minute..." Shizuo watches as she heads back into the store, and the owner of the shop takes his face off from where it was mushed against the window, most likely watching the fight.

A few minutes later, Rin comes back out - she bought the same huge bag, and he sees her arms tremble as she struggles to carry it out. He can't even see her from the waist up, the bag is so big - so he grabs it from her and hefts it back onto his shoulder.

"Thanks, Kitamura-san. I'll pay you back."

"Ah, no! Please, it's okay! You've already taken Battler in, and that's more than enough for me!" She smiles at him, and Shizuo feels heat rise in his cheeks at the way she beams at him.

"Well... if you need anything, let me know."

"Ah, just take care of your arm, okay, Heiwajima-san?" She looks away awkwardly when Shizuo nods at her.

He grabs the other bag that's still on the ground and begins to try his second attempt at getting home, when her small voice pipes up from behind him.

"Actually, there is... o-one thing..."

Shizuo turns and looks at her somewhat curiously. "Yeah?"

"Uhm... Y-you... m-me... Would you..." She clutches her hands together, and he raises a brow.

"W-would you... go on a... a..." Her eyes squeeze shut, and the next words out of her mouth are so fast he almost can't discern what she's saying. "Would-you-go-out-on-a-date-with-me!" Rin finally squeaks out.

Shizuo stares.

Rin's eyes are still shut tightly, and she shakes in anticipation.

Shizuo stares.

Then he stares some more.

"I'm s-s-s-sorry!" Rin cries, taking steps back, eyes now open and glued to her shoes. He can see more tears collecting at the corner of her eyes, because he still can't do anything but _stare._

Then, "... Sure, Kitamura-san." Immediately, her eyes look at him with surprise clearly written in them.

"I... I... okay!" Now she's the one who can't do anything but stare, and she steps back. "I'll... um... see you tomorrow at school, then!"

And with that, she scampers away; her foot catches in a crack on the sidewalk in her haste, and she tumbles to the ground. Before Shizuo can even go to help her up or ask if she's okay, she bounces right back up. "B-bye!" And in the blink of an eye, she's run off into one of the side alleys.

Shizuo looks around before dropping the items and pinching himself; nope, it's not a dream, and he can only stare at the spot where she just stood and figures that if it was, Izaya certainly would have been murdered by way of cat food.

* * *

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and Izaya's dastardly appearance. :D;; Please review and let me know how I'm doing! I thrive off them.

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	6. time and place?

A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm sorry, I'm too tired to reply individually, and I've got the last episode of Gurren Lagann to re-watch (off topic, but I seriously forgot how epic it was and how much I loved it)... so please, excuse my lame excuse. Haha. :)

Another short chapter because I fail. I think my writing's going down the drain... either way, please enjoy!

I don't own Durarara.

* * *

Chapter Six

"A date!"

"Yes..."

"You managed to do it!" Ayame announced loudly and happily, currently clutching a choking Rin to her body. Rin was pretty sure she'd gotten it from seeing her mother in action when she came over her house - she even experienced them first hand, which surely helped her master the act. "I'm so proud, Rin!"

"A-Ayame! Calm down, jeez..." Rin sputtered, managing to shove her friend away from her. She gasped for a breath before quietly adding, "Although... I'll need your help."

"Eh? Help with what?"

"W-well... I don't know what to wear!" She exclaimed, retreating back to her desk. "I mean... what if I wear something, and Heiwajima-san thinks it's atrocious?" Tears started gathering in her eyes, "W-what if Heiwajima-san sees me and runs away because I picked out a bad outfit?" Rin sniffed, and Ayame rolled her eyes.

It was a perfectly good thing to worry about, in her opinion. Rin had never gone out on a date before; she was sure something about her teary nature turned off most boys her age, and she had never really given dates any extra thought. But here she was, going on one with Heiwajima Shizuo, of all people.

"Rin, get a grip, okay? I'm sure Heiwajima-san won't run away from you." A sly look came over her face - seeing it made Rin want to cry more, because she usually didn't like what came next. "It's kind of funny, though. You really care what Heiwajima-san thinks... How cute!"

"No, I...!" Rin protested, and Ayame shot her a look that clearly said she was unconvinced. "... Okay. Maybe I do."

Her friend reached over and ruffled Rin's short, wavy bob. "Don't you worry, Rin! I'll take care of it." Her eyes brightened, and she grinned. "I'm going to go try to gather some information. I'll be back!" Rin watched as Ayame sped out of the classroom, sliding the door shut behind her.

Information? Rin sighed, getting a tissue out from her desk and dabbing her eyes dry. She was in the process of wondering what the date would be like - when she realized she hadn't even set up a time or a day for said date to happen. She dropped her head in her hands before glancing at the clock. Lunch was still going on for a bit longer; she would probably have time to go find and talk to him before class started again.

Rin gulped before leaving the classroom as well, hoping that Heiwajima would be on the roof again like last time.

* * *

"A date!"

"... yeah."

"How exciting, Shizuo! This would be your first date, right?" Shinra grinned, clasping a hand on Shizuo's shoulder. "Ah, I feel like a proud father watching his child grow and learn about the world... ow!"

"Shut up, idiot." Shizuo muttered, going back to gnawing on the straw in his drink.

"So where are you going to take her?"

Shizuo paused. He hadn't given it any thought, really. He supposed he was still trying to get over the fact he'd been asked out. "Don't know."

"You... don't know? S-Shizuo! That's the most important thing for a date! It's where the magic happens! Where you realize you've fallen- ow!" Shinra whined, rubbing his sore head. "Must you keep doing that?"

He was ignored by the blond, who looked up at the blue sky thoughtfully. "Well... where should I take her?" He asked quietly. Shizuo had no clue of where to take a girl. He rarely went out himself, so how was he supposed to know?

"Hmm... I suggest Sunshine 60! Take her to the aquarium, girls love things like that. There's also the skydeck, and..."

Shinra babbled on about all the attractions, and Shizuo mulled over the idea in his head. He didn't like taking advice from Shinra, but he had to admit Sunshine 60 was probably his best bet.

"... I guess I could do that."

"Great! I knew my knowledge would help you at some point!"

"Don't get a big head, Shinra." Shizuo sighed, teeth still grinding the straw flat.

Shinra opened his mouth to say something else, when the door to the roof creaked open and a head popped out. It was Rin - Shizuo whipped the drink box down, hoping she didn't see him chewing it until it wasn't even a straw anymore. He could barely admit it to himself, but he was probably doing it out of nervousness about the whole prospect of this _date_ thing.

"Ah, I think I hear someone calling me!" Shinra said, hand cupping his ear. Shizuo gave him a dry expression that said _"Really?" _for using the same excuse had last time - could he make it anymore obvious? "I'll see you, Shizuo!" He bounded towards the door, giving Rin a hello before exiting.

"Hello, H-Heiwajima-san..." She greeted him shyly, approaching him slowly before taking a seat next to him.

He gave her an awkward nod, "Kitamura-san."

She hastily waved her hands, "P-please, you don't have to call me that... Just Rin is fine, Heiwajima-san!"

"Rin," He echoed. "Then just Shizuo is fine. Heiwajima-san makes me sound old."

"Okay... Shizuo." He stole a glance at her to see her face was faintly tinted pink, her fingers tangling together. "Ah, I was wondering - um, when... where...?"

Shizuo decided to test the waters with Shinra's advice. "Have you ever been to Sunshine 60?"

"No, I haven't... I've always wanted to see the aquarium, though." Rin smiled at him, and he returned his gaze quickly back to his lap.

"We could go there... if you want." Shizuo didn't think he'd ever felt this awkward before in all of his teenage years - things like this he was sure was normal for other students, but it was a whole new world for him.

"Eh? Really? We can go to the aquarium?" She asked him, leaning over in her excitement. Shizuo felt heat rising up to cheeks when he noticed how close she was, and she shot back down to her seat when realized it herself. "... the aquarium would be nice," Rin agreed, blushing even more.

Shizuo nodded. "How is Saturday for you, Kitamu- ... Rin?"

"Saturday's good." Rin mumbled, eyes occasionally glancing over at him only to turn back to her hands. "W-where should we meet?"

Shizuo was silent for a moment. "I could pick you up at your house. If you don't mind, or anything."

"M-my house is fine!" Shizuo gave a grunt of confirmation, and they sat in silence for a few minutes. It could almost be considered awkward, but neither really felt too uncomfortable. Rin broke it once by asking about Battler, to which Shizuo replied that he was doing fine to Rin's happiness. The minutes ticked by slowly in that strange silence, until:

"Well, I should probably get back to class..." Rin sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear.

Shizuo stood, "You're right." He looked down at her, offering her a hand.

Rin stared at it before shyly placing her hand in his - and he couldn't help but notice how small and delicate her hand was compared to his own rough, calloused one. He ignored the thought that popped up in his head, chiming that he could snap it like it was a twig. It wasn't that he ever would - but just the fact that he _could_ nagged at him. He focused instead on the small smile she gave him as he hefted her up.

"T-thanks... Shall we go, Shizuo?"

* * *

As they walked through the hallways, Rin tried to ignore the stares and murmurs coming from the other students - which didn't really work, and her ears ended up getting an idea of what was being said.

_"I wonder what a nice girl like Kitamura's doing with that Heiwajima?..."_

_"Strange pair, don't you think? A crybaby like her and..."_

_"Maybe he's got blackmail on her or something..."_

She looked up at Shizuo, only to see that his face was blank, eyes looking straight ahead. He didn't seem to be bothered by the talking - then again, she figured he was probably used to it. The thought made her sad; it had to be terrible to be talked about so much that you gradually learned to ignore it. It was probably something he had faced all of his life.

"Ah, this is my classroom," Rin pointed at the door, staring at her shoes. "So... I'll see you on Saturday. Eh, ah... tomorrow, I mean." She giggled nervously, then stopped when she realized she sounded like an idiot.

"Yeah. Is one in the afternoon okay?" He rubbed the back of his head, staring at his shoes as well.

"S-sounds good to me," Rin said, then looked back up and gave him a smile. "See you, Shizuo." She waved goodbye, then disappeared into her classroom. The whispers continued around him until he shot everyone in the hallway a fearsome glare, and they all proceeded to change topics or go back to their classrooms as well in fear of getting pulverized.

"Nosy bastards..." Shizuo muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets and making his way to his own class.

As soon as she got back to her desk and sat down, she almost reached for a tissue out of pure reflex. But to her surprise, it hit her that she hadn't shed one tear during the whole time she'd been on the roof with him. _How strange..._ She brought her hand back out and rested it on her desk, staring out the window at the blue sky and smiling.

* * *

"Kishitani-san!" Ayame yelled, shoving through a group of students to reach the bespectacled boy. He turned around, blinking at the call of his name before Ayame pushed her way through the last cluster of students. "Kishitani-san!"

"Yes?" He adjusted his glasses, looking at her curiously.

Ayame decided to cut right to the chase. "So I see you around with Heiwajima-san a lot, and I'm assuming you know of Rin..."

"Ah, Rin-chan? Yes, I know her."

Ayame smiled, "Well, you see, I'm that hopeless girl's best friend. And that means it's my duty to make sure things go smoothly, you know? And Rin's been stressing about some things, so I was wondering if you could tell me what Heiwajima-san likes."

"What Shizuo likes?" Shinra blinked, then lifted a hand to his chin. "Hmm... He likes peace, but Rin already seems to be pretty peaceful..."

"Eh, I was talking more about... well, Rin's worried about what to wear. I mean, I have _excellent _taste, so she'll look great either way! But-" She mimicked Shinra's position, her hand coming to frame her chin as she pondered, "What kind of clothes would you think Heiwajima-san likes on girls?"

"Clothes?" Shinra chuckled, "Well, I'm not too sure. I think he's already happy he's been asked out on a date by a cute girl like Rin-chan, even if he won't admit it." He pat Ayame on the shoulder, "So I'm sure whatever she wears, Shizuo will be happy."

"That doesn't help, Kishitani-san!"

He laughed before starting to walk away. "Just put her in something extra cute and girly, and I'm sure Shizuo won't even know what to do with himself!"

* * *

"I'm home," Rin called out, slipping her shoes off by the door.

Behind her, Ayame followed suit and gave a, "Me too!"

"Welcome home, Rin! Ah! And Ayame-chan, too!" Her mother exclaimed, appearing out from the kitchen and gripping the both of them in one of her special _hugs _- if they could be called that. "How was school? There weren't any bullies, were there? Or a gym class gone wrong? You know, it's very easy for a ball to get thrown too hard and hit-"

"We're... fine...!" Rin gasped, and Ayame fervently nodded in an attempt to be set free.

"Oh, good! I'm so happy to hear that!" Finally, they were released. "I don't know what I would've done if something happened! I mean, what if you two encountered some awry traffic, or-"

"We're _fine_, kaa-san," Rin told her with some exasperation. "Really..."

"Are you sure? It's not too late to get some mace!" She tapped her chin. "We could go get some right now, you know..."

"Rin's got a date!" Ayame blurted out, "So I have to help her pick out an outfit! It's a very urgent matter, so we'll be going upstairs now!"

All Rin could hear was her mother saying, "Rin? A date? Oh, how exciting!" before Ayame had successfully dragged her upstairs to her room.

"Jeez, she sure can talk..." Ayame mumbled, already opening up my closet with flourish. At Rin's silence, she turned around to see her horror-stricken face. "What's wrong with you?"

"Ayaaame! Why did you have to say that!" Uh oh, she could feel the tears coming - however, this time, she might have a plausible reason to cry. "She'll surely tell tou-san, and...!"

"... oops."

"And who knows what he'll do! You know how he is..."

"Sorry, Rin." Ayame at least had the decency to look guilty, but Rin just sighed and sniffed some more.

Oh yes - she was sure her father would have something to say about this.

* * *

"Your mother tells me you're going on a date, Rin." Her father said quietly in that stern voice of his across the dinner table. "And who is this _boy_ that you're going to go out with?"

Rin was a bit shocked. He hadn't said _boy _that you're _not _going out with, so this was at least a good start... hopefully. "Ah... someone from school." Rin said just as quietly. Her father looked at her from over his glasses, and she gulped.

"I see."

Silence reigned once more, and Rin blinked. Her mother had begun to coo over her father, telling him about a news report that involved cell phones and how they could inadvertently kill you. She thought she was in the clear, at least it seemed like it; until he spoke once more.

"You know I'll be meeting this _boy_ first?"

"Y-you will?" Rin choked out, brows furrowing.

"Yes." He gave her a dead serious look, "Oh, yes," then resumed eating.

Well, she supposed it could have been a lot worse. Actually, she knew it could be - then again, who knew what would happen when the two met? _Ayame, you idiot!_ Rin lifted her eyes to the ceiling_, _or at least where she figured some higher power was listening.

_Heiwajima-san - er, Shizuo, I know you're strong, but... please raise your power level by tomorrow!_

_

* * *

_A/N: So, I hope you guys liked, though I'm not too happy with this chapter myself - but maybe it's just me.

Please review and tell me how you guys are feeling about the story. Thanks~


	7. and thus, it begins

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews~ :D

**VickyVicarious**: Thanks for the compliments! And no, I don't think anyone can intimidate him~

**cookie2178**: Thank you, I hope you like this one, too!

**Nixxy**: You'll just have to find out next chapter... cause I'm evil. :3

**gallagherblackthorne4ever**: Wasn't very "soon", but it's here!

**kuro usa-chan man**: Well, Dotachin does attend school with them, but I'd probably say no for the rest, considering I don't think they knew each other back then. D: And I love Celty, so probably!

**DreamWalker18**: Thanks so much! :D Like I said to Nixxy, that will have to wait till next chapter... haha...

**AkaEyes**: Well... it's here~ :)

**Nina101**: Thank you!

**Sepsis**: Yes, they are rather shy. Well, in different ways... and some not so different! She's slowly, slooowly getting over the crying thing. I hope you like the meeting. It won't be the last one, ahah..

**Alessa-chan**: Thank you! I'm glad you like it.

**Ari**: Thanks! That's exactly how this is supposed to be. I'm so happy that you like Rin so much. :D And the avatar is from zerochan . net. :3

**ninja-alchemist47**: I try my best to make them that way, so thanks thanks thanks~

**Random Fan**: I love Shinra, especially when he says dumb things and gets punished by Shizuo. :)

**AnimeCutie**: Yay, I'm happy you think it's adorable!

**1zara-uchiha1**: This is kinda... ASAP... :D;

**Fran Hyuuga**: Yeah, I think pairings like that may be my weakness...

**arxiel neaer**: I'm grateful to hear you don't think she's a Mary Sue. :) And UGH, I do that from time to time. I'll fix it in the near future... I'm just really, extremely lazy...

You guys are so great. skfjqerg.

But yeah, this story isn't mean to be that dramatic or action packed or anything like that. I almost want to say slice of life, but... eh. :D I think some of my other stories are dramatic enough. At least AM is... anywho, enjoy. Sorry for the shortness.

* * *

Chapter Seven

By twelve in the afternoon, on a breezy Saturday afternoon, Heiwajima Shizuo had pretty much torn his room apart so horribly that it looked like a tornado had hit. For once, nothing was broken; however, all the clothes he owned were strewn about on the floor, and curses were thrown about along with them.

He had no idea what to wear.

Honestly, he felt a bit like a girl. Guys - no, _men _- shouldn't take nearly this long to pick out something to wear. But today was not a normal day, at least to him. No, today was the day on which Heiwajima Shizuo was taking a girl out on a date. A _date._

A _date _with a nice, normal... alright, so maybe she was a bit strange - but either way, it was a date with a nice, cute girl. A girl that he would have thought would never be interested in someone like him, seeing as she was weepy enough to be considered pathetic and had fainted after the first sentences they exchanged. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he was nervous.

Maybe not even so much about the date itself, but more about him going into one of his rages. He highly doubted Rin herself would be the cause of it, but it didn't take much for something to set him off. Shizuo had already scared her before, and didn't exactly want to do so again. He had to wonder why she would even want to go on such a thing as a date with him.

During his inner mulling, Battler had snuck in through the cracked door and was now winding himself between his legs. Shizuo sighed before reaching down to pet the mangy looking animal. At least she trusted him enough to take care of the cat, he supposed. She wouldn't just let anybody take him, right? Battler finally grew tired of the petting and strutted off to a corner of the room, nestling down in one of the many piles of clothes.

He had to get back to the task at hand: clothes. He threw another shirt behind his shoulder and muttered another curse before there was a muffled voice behind him.

"... Aniki." The muffled sound was his brother, who currently had the shirt he had tossed lying on top of his head.

"Ah, Kasuka... sorry." He grabbed the shirt from his brother's head, chucking it into a different corner.

"Are you alright?" His expressionless brother questioned - though it sounded more like a statement - face blank.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Shizuo tried to convince him, but Kasuka simply gave the room one scan before staring at his light haired sibling. A moment of silence passed.

"... Maybe I'm not." He sighed and scratched his head. "I'm supposed to be going out... on a date."

Kasuka simply nodded, and before Shizuo could explain his dire situation further, he started sifting through the clothes. And where Shizuo had taken almost an hour to even begin to contemplate what to wear, Kasuka took all of three minutes. He handed him a pair of dark jeans, green tee shirt, and a simple brown jacket.

Shizuo barely glanced at the clothes. If there was one person he was sure he could trust with dressing him, it would be Kasuka. After all, he had plenty of admirers - and though Shizuo didn't know much about that, he assumed you wouldn't be able to get any by being unstylish.

"Thanks, Kasuka." The younger sibling nodded and headed for the door.

"Have fun, Aniki."

* * *

"Ayame! I can't wear that! It's so... it's so short!"

"Rin! Stop being such a baby! They're shorts, for crying out loud... our school skirt shows off more than this! Jeez!"

Rin was unconvinced. "Try telling that to my father, Ayame."

Ayame shivered, putting the shorts back. "...You have a good point."

"I hope it goes okay..." Rin mumbled to herself. "What if-"

"Shush! You've been going through 'what-ifs' this whole time and crying about it!" She glanced at Rin. "Unless you want Heiwajima-san to see your puffy eyes and runny nose, I'd be quiet and let me do what I'm here for!"

"Eep! Okay, okay!" A few minutes passed in silence, as Rin most _definitely _did not want Shizuo to see her in such a state.

"How about this? Should be conservative enough for your old man..." She held up a plain white sun dress that had some frills and a thin bow at the neckline. "Try it on, it's not like you have much time anyway. It's like, what, twelve thirty already?"

"Already?" Rin cried, hastily swiping it from her and running behind her screen to get changed.

"Hurry, you don't want Heiwajima-san to see you in your bra and underwear, do you?" Ayame laughed at her, and Rin let another squeak out before rushing out.

"I-is it okay?"

"Hmm, I don't know..."

"Ayameee!"

"I'm just kidding, jeez! You look fine. Now take this, it might get cold out..." She shoved a light pink cardigan at her. "Oh, and something has to be done with your hair. _Definitely. _Too plain looking."

"Gee, thanks..." She sniffed, then stopped immediately as she remembered her friend's earlier words. "There's nothing wrong with being plain, anyway!" Ten minutes later, she was officially ready - at least, that's what Ayame said.

"I'm quite proud of myself! You'll definitely pass your old man's inspection." She placed a plain white headband on top of her wavy bob. "I'm sure it'll pass Heiwajima-san's, too."

"Eh? He's... going to be inspecting me?" She asked with wide eyes. "Are you absolutely sure I look-"

"... You make it too easy, Rin."

A few minutes and a good amount of pacing later, the doorbell rang. "Ah! I've got to get it before-" But as Rin dashed to the top of the steps, she already saw her father's rigid back and Shizuo's long legs.

_Doom_, she thought.

"... so _you're _the _boy _taking my _precious __daughter _out on a _date_?" Rin cringed as she caught the tail end of the statement.

"... Yes, sir." Came the reply. Rin thanked whoever ruled the heavens above that he had addressed him as 'sir'. If there was one thing about her father, he demanded respect at all times.

"What's your name, boy?" As usual, her father sounded about as soft as a piece of steel.

"Heiwajima Shizuo. ... sir."

"Good. Because I'll need to know it if something happens to her." She hadn't yet emerged from the top of the stairs, but she could already imagine the scowl and the narrowed eyes her father surely had in place. "Because if something _happens _to her, I'll hunt you down and..." He paused, and Rin imagined it was for dramatic effect. "It won't be pretty."

"... Okay. Sir."

She felt tears coming to her eyes at the horrendous conversation unfolding before her, but quickly squashed them down. Rin was about to race down the stairs to drag Shizuo away and save herself embarrassment, when embarrassment itself beat her to it.

"Ah, such a handsome young man~!" Her mother's cooing voice joined in, and Rin slapped her forehead. "Oh, oh, so tall, too!" She squealed, and Rin finally came down the stairs to see her mother fawning over Shizuo as her father stood there, unamused and still glaring daggers at the blond.

"Oh, Rin!" All three pairs of eyes shot to her as her mother switched from her date to Rin and hugged her tightly, nearly knocking her off balance. "Don't worry, you're as cute as always, too~!" She flushed and tried to worm out of her grasp, but her mother just went on. At this point, she was too embarrassed to look at Shizuo. "Why didn't you tell me you were going out with such a cutie pie-"

"That dress should be longer-"

"Now, be careful-"

"There had better be shorts under there-"

"-horrible things happen in the city!-"

"If you're not back by-"

"-gangs out there!-"

"-will be consequences-"

"-good thing he's big and strong~"

Finally, Rin managed to wrench herself out of the hug. She grabbed Shizuo's hand, ignoring the slightly bewildered look on his face, and made a run for it as if there were angry bears after her.

"_Heiwajima Shizuo_! If you hurt my precious Rin, I'll hunt you down and torture you and gut you and feed it to the birds-"

"Have fun, you two~!"

Yes. She was absolutely sure of it.

Kitamura Rin wanted to shrivel away under a rock somewhere in a different country and die.

* * *

"Shinra~ I'm bored."

"I'm sure you can find some way to amuse yourself, Izaya-kun."

The two were in Shinra's apartment; the television hummed in the background, but Shinra was on the computer and Izaya had started clicking away at his phone.

"But my fanclub is surely having a meeting right now, and Shizu-chan is nowhere to be found!" He exclaimed dramatically, plummeting on the couch.

"...Hey, Shinra."

"Yes?"

"Where is Shizu-chan right now? It's not like he has friends, right?"

Shinra blinked. "Maybe not that many, but I'm one of them. And besides, he's busy. He's out on a date, you know-" As soon as the words escaped his mouth, he sorely regretted them.

"A date, you say?" Immediately, Izaya sat up on the couch. "A date! Shizu-chan... a date!" He laughed to himself. "Maybe I should pay him a visit and give him a few pointers?"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Izaya-kun..."

He wasn't listening. "Now, where would a young high school couple go on a date? And _obviously_, Shizu-chan being a protozoan and all, he's not going to be creative about it."

"Izaya-kun, you know that if you go harass him, you'll just have to come back here and get patched up."

Still, Izaya was ignoring him. "Ah, I've got it!" He jumped up from the couch, giving Shinra a wave and a smirk. "Bye bye, Shinra~" And with that, he was out the door.

Shinra moaned piteously to himself and prayed to God that Shizuo didn't catch wind of the fact that he had let such information slip, because if he did - if he did!- There would only be one thing standing in between Shizuo and Shinra's near demise.

_... Please come home soon, Celty!_

* * *

A/N: Tsk tsk, Shinra. Shame on you... Please don't kill me for not doing the date in this chapter. I wanted to get something out, and I felt like that should have its own chapter anyways. So... don't hate me!

Please review and tell me what you thought! I'd like to hear what you guys want to see happen in the date. I may even put it in there~ So let me know! I want to write something that people will read and gush over happily.

:3 Thanks for reading, please give me your thoughts and such.


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